Eichabd schofield and geoege dayidson



(No Model.)

B. SGI-IOFIELD 85 G. DAVIDSON.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented July 28, 1885.

N. FUERS. mowmm n mr. w

ilwrrn TATES RICHARD SCHOFIELD AND GEORGE DAVIDSON, OF PARIS, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO JOHN PENMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,978, dated July 28, 1885.

Application filed October 30, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, RICHARD SoI-IoFIELn, mechanic, and GEORGE DAVIDSON, mechanic, both of the town of Paris, in the county of Brant, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, (patented in the Dominion of Canada November 7, 1884, No. 20,509 5) and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a device in a knitting'machine by which a supplemental thread may be automatically and instantaneously brought into action to take the place of any thread which may break, and thereby prevent the hole or defect which would otherwise be produced in the knitting; and it consists in the peculiar combinations and the construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing some of the parts of a knittingmachine with our invention attached thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of the bracket attachment for guiding two threads into the knitting-machine, and showing the position of the threads when the main thread is in action. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the same parts, but showing the position in which they will appear when the main thread breaks.

A represents a part of the cylinder of a knitting-machine, B the bobbin for the main thread, and C the bobbin for the supplemental thread. D is the main thread, and E the supplemental thread.

On reference to the drawings it will be seen that the main thread D passes through a hole, a, forming the main thread-guide, in the bracket F, thence under the spring-arm I), over the pivoted arm G, finally through the second guiding-hole, c, to the needle (2. The pivoted arm G has a tail, 6, which extends down behind the spring f, this spring being sufficiently strong to hold up the pivoted arm G and resist any ordinary tension on the thread D.

The supplemental thread-guide consists, as shown, of the rock-shaft or hub G", arm H,

provided with a hollow guide, 2', and springsented.

(No model.) Patented in Canada November I, 1884, No. 20,509.

arm h, and the spring-arm b, all of which parts and their functions will be hereinafter further described. The spring-arm b is connected to the hub of the arm H, which is loosely pivoted on the bracket F, as repre- So long as the main thread D passes below the crooked end of the spring-arm b, the arm H is held in position shown in Fig. 2, and it supports, as represented, a supplemental thread, E; but should the main'thread D break, the support for the spring-arm b is destroyed, and consequently the arm H will fall by its own gravity, carrying with it the thread E into the position indicated in Fig. 3.

We have now referred to all the parts involved in our invention, and shall now proceed to draw attention to the advantages secured by the operation of this device to instantaneously replace a thread which may be accidently broken.

From one cause or another the threads in a knitting-machine constantly break, and if not instantly noticed by the operator, which is practically impossible, the broken thread will of course cause a flaw in the knitting, and it is therefore very important that simple and effective means should be provided to avoid the occurrence of such a flaw. By the opera tion of our device it will be seen that the very.

instant the main thread D breaks, the arm H,

which carries the supplemental thread E falls, bringing the thread E into action with the needles (1 before the broken end of the thread Dreaches the needles. Consequently no flaw or hole in the knitting can possibly occur, as

the supplemental thread E is automatically and instantaneously brought into action the instant that the thread D breaks. It is of course not intended to draw a regular supply from the bobbin C, it merely being intended 9c that the bobbin should supply sufficient thread to furnish the knitting with thread between the period that the threadD breaks andis repaired by the operator. It will be noticed that the thread E passes through a hollow guide, 1,

formed at the end of the arm H,'and that from this point a spring-arm, h, extends, and hasa forked end, through which the thread E passes and is held, so that the end of the said thread shall be carried in behind the needle (I when the arm H falls into the position shown in Fig. 3. We should also mention that the arm G, which supports the thread D, is itself only supported by the strength of the spring f, which springis calculated to resist the ordinary strain of the tension upon the thread D; but should such tension increase the arm G will be caused to fall, bringing the thread E into action. WVhen the arm G falls, it binds or nips the thread D between the ends of the arm G and the plate that the thread is running through to the needle. The end of the said arm thus falls upon the said plate just above the hole through which the thread D is running, thus nipping the said thread off at the same time the thread E is brought into action. It is scarcely necessary to remark that the thread on the bobbins B and 0 should be the same color otherwise the changing from one thread to the other would destroy the appearance of the knitting. We may also mention, though it is quite apparent, that in the event of the bobbin becoming empty or the thread parting in the bobbin, the arm B, being no longer supported by the thread D, will naturally drop by its own gravity, and the supplemental thread in that way is brought into action, notwithstanding the fact that the arm G remains in the position indicated in Fig. '2, being thus held by the tension of the spring f on the heel e of said arm.

WVhat we claim as our invention is- 1. In combination with the needles and main thread-guide of a knitting-machine, a movable guide arranged to be normally supported by the main thread, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the needles and the usual main thread-guide of a knitting-machine, ofa second guide for the main thread, arranged at a greater distance from the needles than said main thread-guide, and a supplemental movable thread-guide arranged to be supported by the thread between the main and second guides for the main thread, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the needles and the usual main thread-guide of a knitting-ma chine, of a second guide arranged at a greater distance from the needles than the main thread-guide, and a pivoted arm, H, arranged to carry a supplemental thread, and having an arm adapted to be supported in its normal position by the main thread, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

4. The needles d and the pivoted arm H, provided with an arm, 12, and a curved spring end, h, the latter havinga forked end to receive a thread, E, in combination with the guides at c, constructed and arranged substantially as described, to carry and hold a thread, D, within the path of the arm 1), whereby the latter is supported by the thread D when said thread is unbroken, as and for the purposes specified.

5. The needles d and the pivoted arm H, terminating in the hollow guide i, with a curved spring end, h, extending from said guide, and having a forked end to carry the thread E, in combination with the arm G, and an arm, I), connect-ed with the pivoted arm H, and arranged to be supported by the thread D to normally keep the thread E out of action, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The bracket F, having thread-guides a and 0, arranged at different distances from the needles, and the pivoted arm G, one end of which moves in the space between said guides to deflect the thread out of a straight line passing through the guides, the said arm G being held in a normal position by a spring applied to the arm,in combination with said spring, the needles d, and guide it, connected to the arm b, as and for the purposes set forth.

7. A bracket, F, having thread-guides a and c, the pivoted arms H and b, the pivoted'arm G, having one of its ends arranged to operate between the said guides a and c, and a second end arranged to swing within range of the springf, in combination with said spring f, the needles d, and the guide t, connected to said arm H, substantially as and for the purposes described.

R. SGHOFIELD.- G. DAVIDSON. In presence of- JOHN MAcMI LAN, WV. S. TENNANT. 

